2 Chinese ships spotted at Panatag but Pinoy fishers allowed in

From the Philippine Star (Oct 30): 2 Chinese ships spotted at Panatag but Pinoy fishers allowed in



One of 10 Chinese ships monitored by the Department of National Defense near Bajo de Masinloc on Sept.6, 2016. Release by Department of National Defense, file

Chinese ships were still spotted in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal but are no longer harassing Filipino fishermen, an official said Sunday.

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said two Chinese vessels – a research ship and a navy frigate – were seen in the shoal from Oct. 17 to 27 but Filipino fishermen were allowed to enter the area.

“There are no written agreements or rules but Filipino fishermen who went there lately attest that they were not driven away nor were accosted. And for the record, from October 17 to 27, there had been only two Chinese ships in Bajo de Masinloc [another name for Panatag Shoal],” Esperon said.

“That’s compared to [a] daily average of five People’s Liberation Army Navy and four Chinese Coast Guard ships in the past,” he added.

The research ship was spotted on Oct. 19 while the frigate was seen the following day.

Presidential communications secretary Martin Andanar said Malacañang “welcomes the good development for our fishermen at the Panatag Shoal.”

Panatag Shoal is located 124 nautical miles off Zambales and is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

China started occupying the shoal on April 10,2012 when Chinese surveillance vessels prevented a Philippine Navy ship from arresting Chinese poachers.

The Chinese Coast Guard has since maintained its presence in the area, preventing Filipino fishermen from entering the traditional fishing route. There were also instances wherein Chinese ships used water cannons to drive away Filipino boats from the shoal.

In July, a Hague-based arbitral tribunal declared that China had violated its duty to respect the traditional fishing rights of Filipinos when it prevented them from entering the shoal in 2012. The court also declared that China’s wide-reaching maritime claim, which covers Panatag Shoal, has no legal basis.

China has dismissed the ruling as “illegal since Day One” and “a mere piece of paper.”

Days after his four-day state visit to China, President Rodrigo Duterte announced that Filipinos may soon be allowed to fish again in Panatag Shoal. He said the issue was tackled during his meeting with Chinese leaders in Beijing early this month.

The Philippine leader said he won’t pick a fight over the shoal and that there would be no “hard impositions” on China for now.

“One day in the future, we will talk about this. We can’t leave this hanging. One day, I will say we won’t go beyond this document, which states that we won (the case),” Duterte said in a speech in Isabela last week.

“I will not insist now. I will not impose now. I will not go to war now. I will not waste the lives of my soldiers.”

Last Friday, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella announced that Filipino fishing vessels are no longer being intercepted at the Panatag Shoal.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/10/30/1638803/2-chinese-ships-spotted-panatag-pinoy-fishers-allowed